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Let me just start this review by reinforcing the title, I have only listened through the CD only about 5 times. With that in mind, let's continue

PREFACEThis is Mayday Parade's 5th CD, and it by far their most different. Most of the critical reception for their last three albums can be summed up with the phrase "Mayday Parade doing Mayday Parade things". Black Lines is definitely a departure from their classic formula. Now, whether that is a good or bad thing is really up to you. To me, it was kind of a mixture. I will elaborate more in just a bit, but let me just dissect the background of this album a bit.

BACKGROUNDAs most of you probably know, there has been a huge surge in the popularity of the pop-punk genre as of late. Among others, bands like The Wonder Years, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, and State Champs have gained a lot of attention. It appears that after witnessing the change in the pop-punk genre, Derek and the boys of Mayday Parade decided they would try their hands at this new style of pop-punk. Obviously, they did so with their own flavor.

CONTENTThis album was kind of up and down for me. It had moments that I thought were brilliant, and moments I thought left a lot to be desired. Their tone has shifted to a style that I will sum up like this, the love child of the newer Anberlin, newer Switchfoot, and newer As Cities Burn, with their own little flares. If you are thinking to yourself "I have no idea who those bands are", then I will do a bit more explaining. There are a lot of slow paced, driving songs, which remind me of the most recent Switchfoot songs. There are also a couple of songs that are upbeat with a lot of driving high hat and dance beats, which remind me of the newer style of Anberlin. There is also a distant and thoughtful tone throughout the album that remind me a lot of As Cities Burn, not to mention a song on this album that sounds like a carbon copy of "The Hoard" by As Cities Burn. Derek's vocals are a lot more raspy and pushed to fit the new style. This works well in most songs, but seems to not sound the best in others. Also, Jake (the drummer and back-up vocalist) has no lead vocals on this album at all, which I personally wish they would have had him do. On Monsters in the Closet, Jake did a lot of lead vocals, and I think it fit their style very well.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN1. One Of Them Will Destroy The Other: 6/10This was an interesting song. I really liked it when it first came out as a single, but the more I listened to it, the less I liked it. Dan Lambton from Real Friends made an interesting addition. In general, it find it a weird note to start an album off with.

2. Just Out Of Reach: 10/10This song is fantastic. It carries a lot more of the signature Mayday Parade style. I think that this should have been the first track on the album

3. Hollow: 4/10Easily my least favorite song so far. It definitely carries that new Switchfoot style I talked about. The song starts with a heavy muff effect on the guitar that I have never really been fond of. It seems to drag on and suffers from a lack of pace.

4. Letting Go: 7/10This is the first ballad of the album, and it is a pretty good song. It has a very soft tone and reminds me and my brother a lot of Tears for Fears. They use very spacious effects that conveys a very emotional connotation.

5. Let's Be Honest: 8/10This is a very upbeat and enjoyable song that carries both the sounds of Anberlin and As Cities Burn. It has a lot of driving hi-hats and guitar riffs that make it a good jam. This is one of the songs where Derek's pushed vocals sound the best.

6. Keep In Mind, Transmogrification Is New Technology: 10/10Another fantastic song. I loved this song ever since it came out and it raised so much excitement in me for the new album. It starts out with a clean and compressed guitar and Derek's vocals. It then picks up with spectacular grandeur into a powerful and driving song. This may very well become one of my favorite Mayday Parade songs.

7. Narrow: 10/10A great song and a great follow up to Transmogrification. Many songs that follow the best song on an album seem to suffer "song after the best song" syndrome, where it seems very forgettable in comparison to the song prior. This song definitely carries its own weight and is both beautiful and powerful.

8. Underneath The Tide: 6/10This song is alright. I could take it or leave it. This is the song that I said is a carbon copy of “The Hoard” by As Cities Burn. I guess when I say a carbon copy I don’t mean a perfect copy. It is slowed down and a bit less exciting than “The Hoard”.

9. All On Me: 5/10I’m not too big on this song. The music is all build on a very simple theme that gets repeated to the point of monotony. This was one of the songs I felt had a lot of potential and never really went anywhere.

10. Until You’re Big Enoug: 8/10Another ballad. It’s a good, solid song throughout. I guess I don’t have very extended thoughts on this one.

11. Look Up And See Infinity, Look Down And See Nothing: 10/10This song is gorgeous. It is flowing and has such a depth to the sound while being incredibly simple. In my opinion, the song that followed should have built on the themes of this short song, but sadly it didn’t.

12. One Of Us: 8/10This song sounds like it could have been taken straight out of Monsters In The Closet. This is a great song with an up-tempo feel that ends the album on a great note. It isn’t as good of a closing song as any of the other albums have had, but it does the job.

CONCLUSIONThis is a good album. So far, I enjoy it. I don’t think it’s amazing or anything crazy revolutionary, but it is a solid album. It definitely has its highs and lows, but overall, it is worth buying. I am very interested to see what Mayday Parade does with their new tone in the future and what direction they go with it.

The day before this album was released I read an interview of Mayday Parade in magazine "Alternative Press." I've grown to absolutely detest the magazine so I was excited that there was a band I actually liked featured. In the interview it heavily discussed Mayday's style change. The interviewer mentioned something about lead singer Derek screaming.

I inwardly cringed. Instantly I did not want to listen to their new album and face the disappointment. Alt Press covers mostly metal core and screamo music now. Which is where my mind went.

If anyone is a Brand New fan, their producer, Mike Sapone, is the same man who produced this album. So, I grabbed some hope from that fact.

The next day came. Black Lines was in my mailbox. The album does not sound like any of their past work. Especially their last two.

So here's a little background.

Anywhere But Here (released in 2009) is not a piece of pure Mayday Parade. Atlantic Records decided that they knew what Mayday should sound like and what would sell. Members of MDP have stated that it was one of the worst experiences they had ever had.

The album also did not sell nearly as well as "A Lesson in Romantics"

So with their self-titled MDP made sure it was really what they wanted and didn't want a lot of outside influence.

So they made their baby and it paid off.Then "Monsters in the Closet" was released and though the album was (and is) spectacular it sounded like their self-titled.

In the interview MDP mention that it bothered them on how similar the two sounded. They mentioned it felt like their self-titled part two.

BACK TO MY POINT

Yes, this album sounds much different than anything they have released before. Yes, it is heavier. Don't hate it, enjoy it. It would be boring if music artists kept the same sound. Just like people, musicians need to grow. While their sound is different, the lyrics are Mayday Parade at its best.

5,0 sur 5 étoilesMy second favorite Mayday Parade album next to A Lesson In Romantics

ParCory Checkettsle 25 novembre 2015 - Publié sur Amazon.com

Achat vérifié

My second favorite Mayday Parade album next to A Lesson In Romantics.

This album is a definite progression in sound for the band now on its fifth studio release. The sound and production of the album mirrors that of other Fearless Records releases. It has an edge to it that is unheard of in previous releases. It's faster and feels more like a pop punk album.

Pick this album up, you won't be disappointed. It's a great listen whether you're a long-time fan of the band or this is your first time hearing them. Also, these guys work super hard.